Incubator-alarm.



L. J. 'WESTFALL. INGUBATOR ALARM.

nrmcnron 1211.21) MAY 8, 1911.

1,001,719. Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

mu -um COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO..wAsHINfl1oN, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT oruron.

LEE 3'. WESTFALL, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

INCUBATOR-ALARM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE J. WESTFALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incubator-Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in incubator alarms, and has for its object to provide a device for use in connection with an incubator for sounding an alarm when the temperature within the hatching chamher is unduly increased or diminished.

Incubators are generally provided with a thermostat and a damper for regulating the temperature, movement of the heated air from the heating lamp being under control of the arm of the thermostat for this purpose, so that, approximately, a temperature of 103 degrees F. may be maintained; and the temperature of the hatching chamber should not vary more than two degrees from this standard. The control thus provided, however, is not adequate, since sudden changes in the weather, the blaze of the lamp or other accidental causes may efiect a variation of several degrees from the re quired range of temperature.

The invention provides an alarm to be automatically sounded whenever the temperature is less than 101 or greater than 105 degrees F., and means for adjustments are provided so that the alarm will be sounded at other predetermined or specific degrees of temperature, as may be desired.

The invention has reference, particularly, to a device which will consist of few and simple parts so that it may be constructed economically, and will be convenient and reliable in use.

WVith these objects in view the invention presents a novel construction, combination and arrangement of part-s as described herein and claimed, and as illustrated in the drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a broken away view showing, in plan, a part of the hatching chamber of an incubator, and an alarm mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a vertical, side view of the device. Fig, 3 is a view of the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. at is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 2, a part of the casing being broken away and the yoke shown in section. Fig. 5 is an enlarged, broken away, front view of the device.

Referring now tothe drawing for a more Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 8, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

Serial No. 625,722.

particular description, numeral 6 indicates the wall of an incubator, and 7 the heating drum therefor, said drumhaving an aperture 20 formed in its upper end, and provided with a conducting pipe 8 for the passage of heated air within the hatching chamber 9 of the incubator. The disk of a thermostat is indicated at 10, the movable arm of the thermostat being indicated at 11. Said arm is pivotally mounted at 12 upon bracket 13 mounted at 14 upon the wall of the in cubator. The parts thus described are old and in general use, and therefore they re quire no particular description, except it may be stated that the construct-ion of the thermostat is such that its arm may have a swinging movement in a vertical plane from the effects of heat which passes within the incubator through pipe 8. Arm 11 of the thermostat projects outwardly of the incubator through an aperture (not shown) formed in wall 6. Upon the top of drum 7 is indicated the closure-cap 15. At 16 is indicated a lever pivotally mounted at 17 upon the drum, one of its ends being pivotally mounted at 18 upon arm 11 of the thermostat, its opposite end being pivotally mounted, as indicated at 19, upon cap 15. Since these parts are so well known they require no particular description, except to state that arm 11 operates as a controlling lever for the damper. When disk 10 is expanded and is elevated from excessive heat, the inner portion of said arm will be elevated, the outer end being lowered and causing lever 16 to swing, and thereby elevating or lifting cap 15 from the top of the drum to allow the escape of heat from said drum. hen cap 15 has been elevated, heat will pass from the drum to the atmosphere through opening 20, formed in the top of the drum. The operation of the thermostat is such that, when the tempera ture of the hatching chamber, for any reason, has become cooled in an excessive degree, disk 10 will be lowered. The outer end of arm 11 will thereupon be elevated to cause cap 15 to be lowered and eifecting a closure of opening 20.

It is well known that the temperature of the hatching chamber should be maintained at from 101 to 105 degrees, and the adjustments of thermostats usually employed provide for maintaining the temperatures within this range. By reason of accidents, however, the supply of heat may be cut oil, or

from other causes the thermostat may fail to provide the required control, and therefore an alarm should be provided, now to be described, to be automatically sounded whenever the temperature within the hatching chamber approaches a dangerous extreme of heat or cold.

At 21 is indicated a casing which maybe constructed to advantage of sheetmetal, open at its ends and having upright, parallel sides 22 and 23 bent transversely at their front ends to provide fiat, reinforcing flanges 2%, said flanges being disposed in horizontal alinement. Upon wall 22 may be mounted an alarm bell 25 of any ordinary hammer-and-going-type, the alarm being sounded by a movement of its lever or operating-arm 26.

At 27 is indicated an aperture formed in wall 22 adjacent to the bell; and, disposed transversely of and pivotally mounted upon the casing is tripping-arm 28, the outer end of said arm being adapted to engage arm 26 with its inner end disposed above the bottom of the casing; and if the inner end of arm 28 is depressed, arm 26 will be moved or released, and the bell will be sounded.

Pivotally mounted at 29 near the bottom and near the front end of the casing, is the tilting-bar 30, and when disposed vertically, said bar may bear upon the rear edge of the transverse platform 31, said platform being secured upon and near the front parts and extending between sides 22 and 23, near their upper ends, and the platform tends to sustain the sides parallel and in rigid relation. Bar 30 is so mounted that, normally. it will remain in a vertical position, but if swung rearwardly a limited extent out of equilibrium, it will fall or swing substantially 90 degrees, by its own weight, to depress the tripping-arm 28, for sounding the alarm.

At 31 is indicated a lower contact-finger, projecting forwardly of flanges 24 and normally disposed horizontally, said finger being rigid with its shaft 32, said shaft being pivotally mounted in the sides of the easing. Finger 31 is provided with a rearwardly extending lever 33 adapted to bear upon the tilting-bar, and disposed below said finger. A weight 47 is provided for shaft 32, and by reason of the construction and the weighted shaft, when finger 31' is disposed horizontally, lever 33 will make contact with tilting-bar 30 when said bar is disposed in an upright position; and if finger 31 is swung downward, lever 33 will cause bar 30 to fall or swing rearwardly to depress arm 28.

I employ a rigid operating-arm 35, disposed above finger 31 at the front of and transversely of the casing, and by means of set screw 36 said arm 35 may be rigidly secured upon arm 11 of the thermostat; and

it will be seen that if said arm 11 is lowered to a sufficient extent, operating-arm 35 will engage contact-finger 31, to depress it, and thereby will cause bar 30 to fall or swing rearwardly for sounding the alarm.

By means of set-screw 36 an adjustment may be made of the mounting of operating arm 35 upon arm 11, so that arm may, normally, be disposed nearer to or farther from contact-finger 31, as may be desired. In practice, the adjustment is such that a decrease of two degrees in temperature will not cause a contact of these parts, but that the contact will. be made and the alarm will be sounded if the decrease in temperature is as much as three degrees.

At 37 is indicated a yoke mounted slidably between sides 22 and 23 of the casing, below platform 31., said yoke preferably having transversely formed bases or terminals 38 adapted to have seatings in longitudinal grooves or channels 39 formed in flanges 24. The yoke is provided with a threaded stem 40 which may traverse the platform. A spring 41 is disposed upon the upright stem 40 between the yoke and the platform, said spring normally tending to move the yoke downward from the platform, and by use of the keeper or nut t2, the yoke may be disposed at greater or lesser distances from the platform, as may be desired.

At 43, above operating-arm is indicated the upper contact-finger; it is rigidly mounted upon horizontal shaft t' l said shaft being pivotally mounted in the arms of the yoke. Shaft 4A is provided with the weight 45 and with an upwardly and rearwardly projecting lever 46.

The adjustment of parts is such that the weight 45 will normally dispose contactfinger L3 in ahorizontal position, with lever 46 bearing lightly upon the surface of bar 30; and in practice a vertical adjustment of the yoke is made, so that, when arm 35 moves upwardly it will engage contact-finger 43 if a change of three degrees from normal occurs. The adjustment should be such that contact-finger l3 will not be engaged until a safe degree of temperature has been exceeded.

In operation, when finger L3 is elevated by the upward movement of arm 35, lever 46 will swing rearwardly. The movement of lever 46 will therefore cause bar 30 to fall or swing rearwardly for scounding the alarm.

Having fully described the several parts and their uses, a further explanation relating to operation is not needed.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

In combination with the movable damperlever of an incubator; a support; a contactfinger pivotally mounted upon the support and movable by the movement of said damalarm adapted to be sounded by a movement per-lever; a yoke vertically adjustable upon of said tilting-bar. 10 the support above said contact-finger; a sec- In testimony whereof I have affixed my 0nd contact-finger; said second contact-fin. signature in presence of two Witnesses.

gel" being pivotally mounted upon said yoke LEE J. WESTFALL.

and movable by the movement of said Witnesses:

damper-lever; a tilting-bar movable by a HIRAM A. STURGEs,

movement of said contact-fingers, and an E. L. HUMPHREY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

